Wednesday, September 22, 2004

On the first night of Rosh Hashana we eat foods that have symbolic significance. Mostly they are puns that remind us to ask God for certain favors, or serve to remind us of blessings we might request in our prayers the next day. For example, tamar is Hebrew (and tamri is Aramaic) for date. In Hebrew the word puns with consume, thus we eat dates and remember to ask God to consume our enemies. An incomplete list is here. (scroll down.)

This year, the father-in-law had a new idea. He brought out celery and raisens, put them together and said, "May it be God's will that we all receive a raise in salary!"

When I was in elementary school (too long ago to count), my teacher mentioned that her brother-in-law/father/something put a piece of lettuce, half a raisin, and celery on the table (let us have a raise in salary). I guess it's now evolved into salads and more.